Expert Member Biographies

Appointed members

Mr Julian Hill MP, Member for Bruce (Co-Convener)

Julian Hill was elected as the Member for Bruce in the Australian Parliament in July 2016.

Mr Hill is the Chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit; the Defence Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade; and the Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services.

Elected as a Councillor at Port Phillip City Council at the age of 25, Mr Hill became the youngest ever Mayor of the City, before holding a number of executive-level positions within the Victorian Public Service, working in international education, migration, economic development, employment, community development, urban planning and local government.

As Executive Director, International Education, Migration and Employment, Mr Hill had lead responsibility for development and delivery of Victoria’s international education strategies and worked with education providers to develop offshore markets. Responsible for overseeing a network of staff based in Victorian Government Business Offices across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America, the role also worked directly with onshore students via the Study Melbourne 24/7 Student Care Service and Centre, and with the Commonwealth, States and Territories via national forums.

The Hon Phil Honeywood CEO, International Education Association of Australia (IEAA), (Co-Convener)

Mr Honeywood has been CEO of the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) since November 2011. IEAA is a not-for-profit peak body that represents all sectors of international education in Australia. Mr Honeywood brings extensive experience in international education. This includes significant experience on education boards, including the Victorian Government International Education Advisory Committee, the StudyNSW International Education Advisory Board, the Higher Education Standards Panel and the New Colombo Plan Steering Group.

Mr Honeywood was the Member for Warrandyte in the Victorian State Parliament from 1988 to 2006. During this period he served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition (2002 to 2006), Minister for Tertiary Education, Training and Multicultural Affairs (1996 to 1999) and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier (1992 to 1996). From 2009 to 2011, Mr Honeywood was CEO of Cambridge International College.

Professor Michael Wesley, DVC, The University of Melbourne

As Deputy Vice-Chancellor International at the University of Melbourne, Professor Wesley provides leadership across the University, with overall responsibility for strategic guidance and expert advice on internationalisation and global engagement. He is also Professor of Politics at the University of Melbourne. His research and writing focuses on Australian foreign policy and the international affairs of Asia and the Pacific. His 2011 book, There Goes the Neighbourhood: Australia and the Rise of Asia won the John Button Prize for best writing on Australian politics and policy, and was shortlisted for the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards

Professor Wesley has been an Expert Member of the Australian Government’s Council for International Education since 2019; an Australian representative at the ASEAN Regional Forum’s Expert and Eminent Persons Group since 2018; and was appointed to the Universities Accord Ministerial Reference Group in December 2022. He is chair of the Group of Eight’s Global Engagement Group.

Mr Mel Koumides, CEO, Academia International

Mr. Koumides has 18 years of experience in the Vocational and ELICOS training sectors. He has held prior roles as council / board member of both state and federal government and industry associations, plus an extensive North Asian regional knowledge as APAC lead for a multinational IT organisation, prior to establishing Academia International.

Mr Koumides brings an extensive knowledge in international education. Mr. Koumides is the current chair of ITECA’s International Policy Committee.

Mr Derek Scott, CEO / Principal and Haileybury

Derek is the CEO and Principal of Haileybury, Australia’s largest independent school. Haileybury has over 5,000 students across four campuses in Melbourne and 950 students at Haileybury Rendall School in Darwin. Haileybury Rendall School has 90 indigenous boarders and students in an international boarding house. Haileybury has campuses and programs in nine cities across China, Vietnam, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines. In 2023 Haileybury also launched Haileybury Pangea a virtual school online campus for students from Years 5 to 12.

Derek is also the Chair of the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. In 2019 he was awarded the Australian Principal of the Year at the Australian Education Awards. In 2022 he was presented with the International Education Association of Australia’s Leadership in International Education Award.

Ms Catriona Jackson, CEO, Universities Australia

Catriona Jackson has served as Chief Executive and Board Director of Universities Australia since 2018, blending a unique combination of extensive policy experience with her reputation as an outstanding communicator.

Under her leadership, Universities Australia champions policies that strengthen the ability of the university sector to provide the best education for students and undertake research for Australia’s future.

Catriona started her career in journalism and went on to hold senior positions in the office of the Federal Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

As the Chief Executive of Science and Technology Australia, Catriona worked closely with parliamentarians, heads of public and private sector research agencies and the learned academies, to maximise the potential of science and technology to solve Australia’s biggest challenges.

Catriona sits on a range of government committees covering issues such as foreign interference, research assessment and bilateral relations. She has an unrivalled understanding of how public policy and the university sector intersect to achieve outcomes in the national interest.

Ms Anouk Darling, Chief Executive Officer, Scape

Ms Darling joined Scape in February 2022, Australia’s largest developer, owner and operator of Purpose Built Student Accommodation with close to $7b in assets under management. Ms Darling is leading the integration of the $2.2b acquisition of Urbanest into the Scape portfolio following a four year stint with private equity group Allegro, specialists in transformational capital.

In an effort to raise awareness of the Purpose Built Student Accommodation sector and better student experiences in Australia, Anouk is leading the charge as the inaugural Chair of the Property Council of Australia’s ‘Student Accommodation Council’, underpinning Australia’s largest services export. 

Ms Darling is also renown as one of Australia’s leading brand builders, including the creation of the Jetstar and Scentre Group brand to the rebranding of Westpac and Westfield.  

Additional board roles include The Property Council of Australia, Non-Executive Directorships; ASX-listed Enero Group (ASX: EGG) a digitally centric global marketing services group and Discovery Holiday Parks (Gday Group), a South Australian company owned by Australian Retirement Trust.

Ms Denise O’Brien, General Manager International Education, TAFE Queensland

Denise O’Brien currently holds the position of General Manager, International Education at TAFE Queensland.  She is responsible for an extensive International Education portfolio providing Vocational Education and Training and English language services to international students in Queensland and a range programs and services to clients globally. 

Prior to this Denise held the position of CEO of the Australia Pacific Training College (APTC) – an Australian government funded initiative delivering Australian qualifications to Pacific Island citizens as well as supporting TVET strengthening initiatives in partnership with national institutions across the Region. TAFE Queensland continues to be the implementing partner of APTC managed within Denise’s portfolio.

Denise is an experienced education executive, demonstrating leadership in domestic and international education and training, adult and migrant education and international development. Her career in the Vocational Education and Training sector spans over 30 years with roles held both in Australia and overseas. Denise holds a number of Graduate and Postgraduate qualifications including a Masters of Education.

In every position Denise has held, from teaching to CEO, she has committed to the role Vocational Education and Training plays in assisting young people and adults of all ages, regardless of life circumstances, to improve their economic, social and cultural prospects

Ms Jane Johnston, Chief Executive, Study Adelaide

Jane Johnston commenced as the Chief Executive of StudyAdelaide in 2022, following a career in international education and marketing that includes senior roles with the University of Adelaide and StudyAdelaide. StudyAdelaide’s role is to increase awareness of Adelaide as a study destination and deliver programs to support international students and recent graduates in Adelaide.

Jane has led nationally award-winning destination marketing campaigns and worked with federal, state and territory governments to deliver support programs of scale to international students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jane was educated at the University of South Australia, gaining a Bachelor of Management (Marketing) and Bachelor of Business (International Business). During her studies Jane spent a semester abroad in Toronto, Canada.

Professor Linda Taylor, Pro Vice-Chancellor International, Western Sydney University

Professor Linda Taylor joined Western Sydney University in August 2014 as Pro Vice-Chancellor (International). A public policy expert with 20 years of experience working across industry, government and the education sectors, Linda brings a wealth of experience as an Expert Member.

In her previous position, as Acting Director of StudyNSW, Linda was responsible for delivering key international education initiatives for NSW, including priorities identified in the International Education and Research Industry Action Plan.

In 2012, Linda was the recipient of a prestigious Churchill Fellowship, where she conducted research on industry-research collaboration and commercialisation. As part of the research, Linda met with over 40 universities, businesses, research foundations and government agencies in India, Germany and the UK to find where innovation meets industry to make a difference and apply the lessons in Australia.

She holds a number of qualifications, including a Bachelor of Arts from Griffith University, Master of Public Administration (with Merit) from the University of Sydney, and Diplomas in project management, international marketing and women's studies.

Throughout her career, Linda has remained committed to working with people and organisations that value innovation and collaboration, and to facilitating global partnerships between industry, government and the education sector which create economic value and public good.

Ex-officio member

Ms Yeganeh Soltanpour, President, Council of International Students Australia (CISA)

Prior to commencement as the incoming President at CISA, Ms Yeganeh Soltanpour, held roles as the National Public Relations Officer and Strategic Policy and Issues Coordinator.  Ms Soltanpour has also held a wide range of roles within disability support services, social media and as a research intern at the Refugee Health Service in Adelaide.

Ms Soltanpour is from Iran and the United Arab Emirates and has a background in Psychology and human behaviour. She is currently studying an MBA at the University of Adelaide and undertook an honours in psychology at Flinders University, with a thesis looking at “improving self-efficacy and reducing statistics anxiety associated with fear of research courses in undergraduate psychology students”.

Ms Soltanpour won the 2022 7news Young achiever awards in the category “Spirit of resilience” for her non-profit organisation ‘Just Genius’ that supports students, namely international students with free career building services, such as workshops and CV templates. ‘Just Genius’ won the 2020 StudyAdelaide Student Event Initiative of the Year, for running weekly virtual libraries during the pandemic, to help reduce the isolation felt by students during lockdown.     

Ms Soltanpour was also selected as a StudyAdelaide Student Ambassador for 2021 alongside 11 other onshore ambassadors and 6 offshore ambassadors to promote Adelaide and South Australia as a study location.

As an international student studying a Bachelor of Psychological Science during the COVID-19 pandemic, Yeganeh experienced the challenges of studying online. Ms Soltanpour brings a wealth of insight into the student experience as an Expert Member.